Friday, September 16, 2005

Said we wouldn't post ...

... unless something popped up. Looks like something might have popped up. Someone is posting in the "7 Wonders" thread about exempt movement and the elimination of the Chief of Patrol's spot. Please use this thread for info on exempt movement and CONTINUE to add to the "7 Unseen Wonders" thread below. There are some great places being written about. Keep it going!

So what we have here is a medium sized "piggy-move-up" due to the Maurer vacancy. It looks like they decided that Patrol Division will mirror the command structure of the other Bureaus and Maurer was the last Chief we'll see.

And I thought lefty was just LEFT HANDED all this time! Let's Communist Party `til we puke buddy! Send in the Clowns... (Sock Puppets- BB, SBR, Adolph, Paladin, JRN, stalkers- shall we dance??) (APB on InDaKnow and many others from BONE's old board... have they grown up and moved on?)

Did they r-e-a-l-l-y `86 the Chief of Patrol spot? What's TASER gonna do NOW? Wasn't even NYPD's Bernie Kerik available???

134 you are right but a great gang specialist doesn't necessarily make a good boss....being made a commander from gang specialist was a hell of a way to thank the guy....D/C is going to be something way above his head

Hey Lefty. Give up already on your Communist push on this website. Nobody's interested. Go open up your own blogsite and invite all of your commie friends to join. You may even get 50 hits by the end of the year. Who knows, Adolph and WaffenSS may log in every now and then.

As far as the 7 Unseen Wonders...I WONDER if I'll ever SEE a Shady post that makes sense. Please don't tell me that you're actually on the job and allowed to carry a handgun. Those psyhologists will pass anyone nowadays.

As far as merit promotions...You guys better not have fucked up mine by bitching to Shakman and Brennan!!

Cronin might be a good guy-never met the man. But NOBODY deserves a jump from G/S to Commander. That's a slap in the face to people who study their asses off, but don't have the juice to make a phone call. To the people who say Cronin is a God and deserved it, let me ask you one question: are you in favor of "merit" promotions, because that's all this is. He got promoted because he had the right hook-up. There are hard-chargers who work in patrol day in & day out and will NEVER get a bump because they have no one to call!

When a promootion is actually made by actual merit its much easier to swallowLike the guy who made dick after he was lowered from a helicopter into lake Michigan and he plucked two stranded rowboaters out of the water in april of 1977 or 1975 I cant remember But I worked with the guy who did it In later years)BTW he NEVER received dicks paybecause you used to be on probation as a dick for 6 months ( even this guy) and he hated it and went back to patrol.When a guy kills an armed offender that shot him and his partner like hapened in 010 about 1993

something similar happened in Montefiore school in 1990 when a female PO was killed

Those merit promotions are easier to stomach than some of the others.

But frankly Im still up in the air about merit promotions in general and Im certainly against the way the overwhelming majority of them are made now

Actually Trotsky published in the Daily Worker, the official newspaper published daily until about 1957. It then became a weekly, brought down by the FBI and McCarthyism.

Actually I enjoyed Trotsky's writings which called for a fight against facism. He first warned of it in 1930, about a year after he was expelled from the USSR and the Communist Party. To bad the USA didn't heed his warnings.

Will you two take your silly and divisive political diatribes elsewhere. You lend nothing to the discussion and merely serve to irritate, bore, and annoy the rest of us. Your like the class clowns who can't let anybody else learn a thing. You're just bullys and I for one am tired of it.

Known Mike Cronin for 30 yrs plus. Always been an honest, strait shooter who you could trust to watch your back. Only one thing he wants to be and that is the real police. How many of the other bosses are of that mold.

P.S. Cronin was given nods for promotions years ago (by our Mayor) but declined, only because he still wanted to the a street policeman.

Can anyone confirm that a "Goldenboy" was at a promo party with a city vehicle and got into a fender bender? Did someone spike his sodas? I guess 18th took care of him unlike he does with others.Perhaps he will learn from this how coppers should be!

Anonymous said... to 11:43 postso you know very few of us would make a pimple [myself included] on Cronins ass He had about 33 years of being a hard charger after losing a piece of himself in Viet Nam. Finally someone who deserved to get ahead, got aheadwith all the other hocus pocus dominiocus going on at 35th st this is one guy who deserves and got a break

9/16/2005 01:34:36 PMAnonymous said... 134 you are right but a great gang specialist doesn't necessarily make a good boss....being made a commander from gang specialist was a hell of a way to thank the guy....D/C is going to be something way above his head 9/16/2005 02:06:08 PM

You're both right on this one. Although I would give Cronin credit for being a street cop, an administrator, he is not! His reward should be the thousands (not hundreds) of hours that he has on the books. The ONLY reason he got made was that Phat Phil is a friend of his and PP wanted to take care of Cronin and give Cronin a gold braid pension, as Cronin is quickly nearing mandatory retirement age. Cronin will retire at an exempt's pension. Although we don't have many good bosses, there are any number who are far better administrators than Cronin could ever dream of being! A good street cop doesn't always make a good boss!

123 this is 134Since when has being a good administrator been a requisite foran exempt position on the job?

look at the rogues gallery of egg salad hats whos photos adorn the wall at the Training AcademySometimes I think that theyd be more appropriate at the Post Office

I agree that the Commanders job was throwing him a bone. But theyve thrown more bones at 35& Boul Mich than at the stockyards

At least this guy deserved a promotion AND he wont be taking up the spot too long( so someone's more deserving niece with 12 years on the job can get HER reward for all the time she spent on the medical)

Hey Mister Ammo statistic goof-Shut the fuck up! This is not about the ammo that helped kill an officer. GOOF!As far as Cronin- He may be a awesome poiceman- but he does not have the skills to lead men , to be a adminstrator of a unit. Leadership skills start at Sgt. level & then they are learned(Hopefully) over a time as that person rises thru the ranks. He simply does not know how to lead men. Oh yeah- the 11th district does not encompass the city, it does not revolve around this department. But if you look at his UNIT- its filled with 11th district guys....

Sir Donkey...Since when do Commanders lead men on this department? A GOOD Commander usually keeps quiet and lets the LTs and SGTs run the show. A BAD one is usually the one who wants to get involved & stir things up.

Have you seen some of the Commanders in the past?? I'm surprised some of them even know how to tie their shoelaces. And look at some of the coppers they've nominated for merit spots. By the way, I've got nothing against merit as long as they are competent individuals and deserve the spot. (As I am)

Either way it doesn't matter if Cronin does a good job or a bad job. He'll retire with a larger pension no matter what happens. And from what I've heard about him...good for him. Finally a good guy wins.

And I agree Sir Donkey...Cline needs to lay off his fetish of the west side. Some of the best cops & all of he action is on the south side now. (35th St on south)

Whether he was a great copper or not no one who pays into our pension program should support the idea that he, or anyone, should be given this type of promotion. Give him some bullshit type job in another city agency after retirement. Wait I am sorry it seems to be the rule that you get your golden parachute AND those positions.

To say since he is nearing his retirement then he should get the promotion to recieve the exempt rank pension is bullshit since it is pulling money out of your pension fund that is extremely under funded. To say it is just one guy is bullshit because there are way to many exempt members on this department now and 90% are bullshit promotions. Just a note on the other side, I am not sure his age but if he can not hold the position for over three years than he does not qualify for the exempt rank pension anyways.

To say some of the best cops come from the southside I think might be stretching it. What sucks about 011 now is that they continue to dump over 40 people from each class out of the academy into the district. It has cooled off a little but that is only because there has been no classes coming out and now that they are new ones going in it will pick up again in 6 months. This bullshit training district program has to be chanaged. It truly is degrading officers safety. Not onlt are the people coming out of the academy a bunch of pussies, another ranting to be had later, To split up 85% of the normal partners on a watch to work with someone you do not know is very bad.

From what I have seen in the past and it has not changed is that the natives on the southside have not been policed and do not waste a second to fight back against the police atleast on the westside they know not to fight and when they do they get what is deserved and really think about the next time it comes around.

Anonymous 8:46 Am, I guess you're another ego-tripped out 11th district one bagger ranger who thinks he is the real police. I'll even bet you were working with Cline on New Year's Eve the last two years when he ran up 3 flights of stairs and kicked in a door to make a UUW arrest. At least he showed everybody on the street how to do a home invasion.

Regarding the South Side, its amazing how many of the Englewooders hang out in 024. Path of least resistance and all that.

Don't tell us about how the South Siders (particularly 007) aren't among the best. If they weren't, the people subsidized by the G to live in Englewood would stay in or around Englewood. Instead, they head up to 024.

Funny how that is. From what you've seen, the natives on the Southside haven't been policed? Its just the opposite. You meet the ones you do because they can't show their faces in waking hours in the land of the real po-lice!

All your base are belong to us! Er, Kilroy was here.

OK, OK, just kidding about the digs on the northsiders. Everybody knows that the POs in 014, 025, 019, 023, 020, 024, 017 and 016 have made the North Side safe for democracy. You are the Arsenal!

Sweetbabyray is right....good commanders know how to let their subordinate supervisors run the show and stay out of things....Cronin doesn't do that....and anyway...respect for a man goes beyond his "metal" as a policeman....he could be a great cop but if he is a jerk and treats people poorly (especially people he used to work for and who now work for him) then what does that make him? I hope people remember me for who I am and not how many westside gang member's names I can remember or how many of them I locked up....retirement comes to all on this job who live long enough to attain it....what are you when you are retired....not a cop any more but still a jerk

007th District Rangers are the real deal...at least the ones who've worked there for at least five years. I've seen many west-side SOS guys come to 007 and get their ass kicked. Prisoners escape and such. I guess the bad guys don't jump into their cars like the west-side. Sorry west-siders, but the "Back Sir" doesn't work in 007. 007 is the hardest district to work and anyone who says otherwise is blowing cline and dana. FUCK THE WEST SIDE!!!

Your right 10:38. Most SOS guys from the west side are a bunch of pussies. They're afraid of a place like 007. And why does the west side need protection from south side Beat cars? All the crime is on the south side. Cline & Dana don't care about the south side. Maybe Jesse Jr will. I've notified him of this website and hope he runs for Mayor. Hopefully some of you 2's will join in. Jesse Jackson Jr.P.O. Box 49286 Chicago IL 60649

By the way, I'm a second time poster. I posted the last one about Jesse Jr. And like that Northern guy, I gave Rev. Meeks & Rev Pfleger this address too. Hopefully, him, Pfleger, & Jesse can straighten out this City. Thanks for sending those business cards, I've enjoyed this site. Even though it does appear to be somewhat racist. Hopefully Jesse & Meeks find the time to monitor this site and run for Mayor.

Define racist. IM racist because Im sick of paying for a bunch a lazy do nothing PEOPLE. (note no color) People who sit around waiting for their vote to be bought. My heating bill will probably double this winter. Ands it mainly do to the kind od people that dont pay their heating bill because its so expensive leaving the thermostat at 89 degrees. And dont forget the pot of boiling water on the stove to get that extra humidity. So IM racist because IM sick of those people that just lay around not doing a damn thing all day. Why isnt jesse and father flugall(Joking) sending them all to school. Why dont they want the Police locking up these scum bags? Yup IM racist of all lazy useless do nothing people.

Heating bills are not doubling because of the poor, they are doubling so the ultra-rich (GOP)will not have to pay the costs of lost oil because of Katrina.

God forbid the ultra rich, like the present president in power, shall have to lose any money. Just think, taxpayers have to pick up lost revenues for the rich, and then companies like Haliburton get to make even more money rebuilding the South.

Funny the poor and those of color, who have little or no political power, are blamed for everything. Finally, Father P is making room for those displaced New Orleans students.

By the way, how much money has YOUR president and Mrs. B given to the Katrina fund?

Gimme a fuckin' break. I spent the worst 68 days of my life in Georgia, Utah, and Florida to call myself a Ranger. Then four years humping a 100lb. ruck around the world. I volunteered 4 times to call myself a Ranger. Not some 150lb. dweeb with a badge and gun that got sent to the "Wood" out of the academy. One guy in my homeroom went in the bathroom and puked when he found out he was going to 007. I ran into him a year later and he had overdosed on his "bad motherfucker" pills. Struttin' around calling himself an Englewood Ranger. I had to remind of the puking incident. Getting thrown into a ghetto district doesn't make you bad-ass. It should make you better cop if you want to do the job. Shut the fuck up with the ranger shit because you never were, never will be, and never had the balls to really earn that title or the proud tradition it represents.

My brother (on the job) has gone to every physically demanding school the army offers, and far and away ranger-training was the nightmare of em all. No food, no sleep, officers temporarily under the supervision of real-life baaaaad ass NCO's.

Navy Seals who go through the training (people who actually passed Navy Seal training) have a higher-than-average dropout rate. The people with the best odds of passing are of below-average height. Something about being able to withstand lack of food etc. later.

007 is the best ghetto district to learn in. Has been for many years. Great cameraderi. Limited politics due to the pressures of actually having crime to solve. Ability to treat the entire community even handedly, because its not like there are thaaat many people there deserving of favors or kid-glove treatment.

I'm just saying, 007 is 007 and its a good place to work. But if we have real Rangers in our midst, I'd agree that the title should not be misappropriated. Speakin of misappropriation, did you burn your red beret when they were misappropriated by the rest of the army?

To Whom It May Concern, SOS is requested by the Commander to come into his/her district So if all you bad ass "rangers" from 007 did your job, SOS would never be there. So shut up and let your work do the talking.

007th District MAY have been a great place to work years ago, but with all the "just off probation" PPO's (yes you are still green) training new PPO's and then a year to a year and a half later, these same PPO's training the new batch, can you seriously expect these wonders to know what the fuck is really going on?? Fuck no, but ask anyone of them and they know EVERYTHING! I love the motivation, but get over yourselves recruits.

Same thing has been happening in the 011th District and has already happened in the 015th---TOO MUCH YOUNG BLOOD. Senior Officers are gone or are leaving because they are sick of the restrictions/bullshit, or just burned the fuck out, and thus, there are not enough mentors.

This site is starting to give me a headache because we are sniping at ourselves again.

Can't we all just get along?

Coppers who would die for each other on the street sound like they might kill each other over comments made on this stupid site.

I liked the "wonders of Chicago" thread the best because it's lighthearted, funny and positive. There's enough people that hate us as it is- we don't need to hate each other.

I just wanted to say Re: Cronin- ALL exempt positions are appointed by merit.

So big deal, a 33 year worker who left a part of himself in Viet Nam got a break. They've appointed MANY other less qualified individuals to exempt spots for the 30 years or so that I've been keeping track.

He's made more arrests by accident than most of us have on purpose.

He'll be retired soon and another "deserving" individual will take his spot.

Giving part of himself in Viet Nam and deserving a golden parachute pension on this job are two different things. I am in no way putting down anyhting that he had done for this country, my family, myself back then but if he is to be rewarded for that then the federal gov. should give him fancy deal not this city and my/our pension fund

7th district? Have you ever worked in 15, 11 or 10? Dude isn't "policed" in 7.Narcotics sales are a hobby to the regulars on the south side it's a full blown business out west.Isn't that why T.R.U.is in 7 all the time to show you how it's done. Englewood busy? 10 years ago maybe....but if you've ever worked on zone 10 you know already and don't have to be told. Besides with great bosses in 7 like Capt. Rozelle why would you want to leave? Unless the G forces you to!

Re CroninI forgot to add that he had been offered positons before but refused them so he could work the street

Yes, the way the pension is set up he will get a good one. Not for losing part of his foot in Nam but for an exemplary career on the cpd

BY the way, is anyone as outraged as I am at the pension bd for unanimously voting Mrs John Thomasa duty death widow's pension?

Her pension before the award was about [my GUESS] $55,000Now its about $100,000 { my guess again}

Besides the honors funeral he got for having a heart attack at homewhich slaps the face of every copper who died in a dirty alley, now because Hilliard says he called the Thomas home, for what ever reason, Mrs Thomas gets the whole enchilada?If the job were legit, Cronin and a few others [like the North & Damen foot man} would have been bosses a long time ago

There was a woman in my Academty class that was held back from getting her star for poor academicsShe retired a dep chfAt list Cronin doesnt spell SHIT with 2 T's

>>7th district? Have you ever worked in 15, 11 or 10? Dude isn't "policed" in 7.Narcotics sales are a hobby to the regulars on the south side it's a full blown business out west.Isn't that why T.R.U.is in 7 all the time to show you how it's done. Englewood busy? 10 years ago maybe....but if you've ever worked on zone 10 you know already and don't have to be told. Besides with great bosses in 7 like Capt. Rozelle why would you want to leave? Unless the G forces you to! <<

The difference between 011 and 007 was that 011 was naturally busier despite having 2X police per capita. OCD, SOS's default assignment, and then the regular district personnel. And what were those 2X police per capita doing? Busting the dime-baggers!

Just as zooey, but people in 007 have never hesitated to help each other. Not saying its the norm in 011, but its been known to happen on occasion.

010? Surely you jest. Half that district is pretty boys looking to get laid. Doesn't hold a candle to 007 or 011 for workers, but it at least has civilized parts to it.

No comment on 015.

On another note (not directed anywhere particular), the TRU is quickly becoming a joke as a strategy. If you want to have a large saturation team to actually saturate a territory and crack heads, that's fine. Good or great even.

But if you then break up the saturation team into 2 and then 3, so that they can be dissipated into multiple areas, you might as well just give those districts their officers back. One step forward and two steps back.

What I should clarify is that I saw, not many times but more than once in the late 90s, a situation where officers on the west side called for assists and didn't get the pile-on they would have in 007. And this wasn't during change time. One time, 4 officers got caught in a crowd. The requesting POs comment I heard was, 20 or 30 second after he came up and asked for whatever was available, something like "got anyone coming? Oh wait, I see ONE car coming around the corner... screw this squad, we're pulling out of here".

I've heard of the same thing happening on Madison in 015 on midnights, but then it was because there was no chance the manpower was available within 30 seconds to clear two hundred bikers from the street. So sergeants in 015 would say they were pulling out.

In either case, the right answer is not a strategic withdrawal without follow up. The answer was a temporary withdrawal, a buildup of overwhelming force, and then a blitzkrieg of arrests. But the idea of backing off in the face of threats, and then not returning, is a bad show all around.

Contrast that to numerous incidents in 002, 003, 004, 007, 008 and 009. There have been incidents in all of those districts where everybody and their brother would show up, and they would be moving as soon as they heard the word that their fellow officers were endangered. Its as close to a guaranteed response as you get in this city. That is how it should be for anything where one of our own calls for our help. If the other uniforms don't have your back, and you theirs, I damn well guarantee you that nobody else does. Not Daley. Not Meeks. Not the exempts. Not the gangbangers, or the CAPS people or the academy staff. The only ones we can count on at 11:00 on a Friday in August or September is the ones we see in roll call.

So yes, give me 007 any day. You call for help at 5:00 on Thanksgiving and you'll still get all of 007 and anyone else who hears your call show up. I don't know how to explain the difference, but I think its emphasized in 007 as priority number 1.

And no, I'm not saying this never happens in 011 or 010 or 015. I'm just saying, it doesn't always. And it should always, without exception. The only thing important at the end of the day is that every one of us goes home safely. So if I want to know that 20000 pounds of brute force is a call away, 007 it is.

Dude, i don't know that this is actually happening llike you say, but when i worked in 010, there was no border between 010 and 011. i'd always see 011 beat cars on "dog-ass" boulevard and as far south as 16th street. i regularly went over the ike to the rockwell homes when 011 called for bodies. roosevelt road wasn't a border, it was just another traffic light to pass. i hope it hasn't gone so bad like you're hinting at. westside was always the best side for backup when i was there

Regarding John Thomas's heart attack at home; you obviously bought the "company line". Thomas had a heart attack while doing the "nasty" with his P/O "secretary" at her place! In one of the greatest cover-ups in CPD history... they moved his body back to his house and THEN called the ME's Office! Gold Stars ALWAYS die Hero deaths!

It saddens my heart to read that Police Officers would stoop so low as to demean another person, no less a fellow officer, at the time of a persons death. For whatever you think about John Thomas, he was a great officer, supervisor, and exempt. Hw was, I admit, the very worst First Deputy. To be on the 5th floor during his tenure was pure hell. Why not examine what changed the man, rather than besmirsch him at his moment of death. Shame on You!

Actually, she was a civilian he brought with him from when he was a District Commander. She thought she was the Police and he allowed her to get away with that representation. As far as what is speculated outside of HDQ...let it be speculation. John Thomas was a good man. Rest in peace....

I've heard that rumor about John Thomas' death for awhile now. Heard it from some high ranking people, but no confirmation. The few dealings I had with him, he was always a gentleman. There is precedent for taking care of him, look at Riordan in the early 80's, killed in a domestic that became job related and his star is in the case at 35th. What a joke that is.

Gotta disagree about Thomas being the worst 1stDep. Dana "FW!" Starks takes that title hands down! The moron wouldn't be able to hold on to that job if it was stapled to his hand! That political hack got promoted for for being uber-friendly with a bunch of Soutside Rev's! Does the name Meeks ring a bell? Ever notice that Cline took the lead on that Rev Meek's garbage? Stark's took the position of screw the sgt. because of his politics. Starks refused to back Cline and help settle the whole ordeal and that is how he got paid.God bless Phil "1 donut short of a grabber" Cline. At least he is looking at things somewhat fairly. Beats the hell out of Matt The Bottle and Scared Terry.

Long Live Sir Donkey! Bring back the Gallows and Willy T. Whale! (I'm willing to pay top dollar for the DNC Flag if it's in anyone possession! You know who you are!)

Almost forgot to mention that Dana and Tina Skahill are such an item that they were giving each other tongue lashings on the fift floor any chance they could get! Hopefully Williams knows how to get the stains out of the couch.If you gotta get it clean, try Oxyclean... and an exorcism from Fr. Pfleger!

In regards to the 011/007 debate, poeople have failed to put in to perspective the size of the districts, you could put three or four 007's in the boundaries of 011, and assists in 011 are excellent; there still is no border between 011/010, they assist each other nightly.

>>In regards to the 011/007 debate, poeople have failed to put in to perspective the size of the districts, you could put three or four 007's in the boundaries of 011<<

007: Smaller than State to Western, 55th to 75th. 3 miles by 2.5 square miles. That would be 7.5 square miles for 007.

011: Madison to Roosevelt, Western to Cicero. 1.5 miles by 3 miles. That would be 4.5 square miles.

PLUS Madison to Division, Kedzie to Ciero. 1.5 miles by 2 miles. That would be 3 square miles.

For a grand total of 7.5 square miles for 011.

Did you just say that 011 is 4 times as big as 007?

FWIW, 007's eastern border meanders west of State, and its western border is definitely east of Western, so its something smaller than my approximation, but 011 includes the shortened blocks between Division and Roosevelt so its also somthing smaller than my approximation.

One of my favorite Wonders of the World was the bull pen lock up at the old, 8th floor Branch 40 WHORES COURT at 1121 S. State St. This lock up was in reality the Green Room for some would be Broadway performers. The ladies would often rehearse what they planed to tell the Judge once their case was called.

When their cases were called they dance their way to the front of the judge’s bench. They’d always flash a big smile and sometimes more to the people in the courtroom as they strutted by. Once or twice I actually saw these hookers sing to the judge. Watching the pimps in the courtroom interact with their whores through sign language, winks and nods was always a treat.

I’ve considered writing a Broadway play about WHORES COURT complete with great Chicago music. I’m looking for investors for this project.

MY MOTHER WAS A CPD MATRON FOR OVER 30 YEARS. IT BROKE HER HEART THE DAY SHE HAD TO RETIRE AT HER 63 RD. BIRTHDAY. FROM THE TIME I WS A BABY I HEARD STORIES ABOUT 1121. I GREW UP ON "PRISION BALONEY" WHITE BREAD AND HYGRADE BALONEY SANDWICHES. WHAT A PLACE, WHAT A GREAT BUNCH OF LADIES. TO THIS DAY THEY HAVE A PLACE IN MY HEART, AND THEY ALWAYS WILL. OF ALL MY POSSESSIONS A PICTURE OF MY MOTHER AND I IN UNIFORM STANDING IN FRONT OF THE LOCKUP ENTRANCE, IS ONE OF MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS. MY DAD, MA, SISTER, BROTHER,ME AND MY NEICE WERE OR ARE CPD. OVER 160 YEARS COMBINED. WE ALL LOVED IT AND HATED IT AT THE SAME TIME. I REMEMBER A GUY YELLING AT MY MOM THAT THE POLICE MURDERED AN INNOCENT MAN, WHAT DID MA SAY? "THE POLICE ARE NEVER WRONG".

P.S. MY OTHER PRIZED POSSESSION IS HER .32 CALIBER DETECTIVES SPECIAL THAT SHE CARRIED, THATS RIGHT, A .32 I LOVE YA MA.